Choices
by Nueva Yui Maxwell
Summary: Taking place during the "Lady with the lost Son" arc. In which Doumeki understands words of wisdom from his grandfather, while Watanuki wonders what it feels to make a choice that changes everything.


**Title**: Choices  
**Genre**: Gen  
**Pairing**: Hints of Doumeki/Watanuki  
**Warnings**: None  
**AN**: Thanks to dragongypsy for beta-reading it  
**Disclaimer:** Not mine, never was, never will. Not making any money out of this.  
**Summary**: (Taking place during the "Lady with the lost Son" arc) In which Doumeki understands words of wisdom from his grandfather, while Watanuki wonders what it feels to make a choice that changes everything.

Choices

Shizuka watched the young woman ring the bell before bringing her hands to her chest to pray. Even from the distance, he could see the tears on her face. The child frowned slightly: it was the third time in the same amount of weeks that the blond female had come to pray at his family temple. He felt a tug on his hand and he looked up to see his grandfather, not moving an inch from his position.

"Staring is not very polite, Shizuka" the priest said to the eight-year-old. His grandson didn't answer at first and he followed the child's gaze to the praying woman.

"Is she mourning?" Shizuka questioned as he watched the lady wipe the tears from her face before turning around to walk away. Pulled again by Haruka's hand, the child obediently followed this time.

"You could say that," the man said softly. "Not a month ago, she gave up her first born to another family. She prays that he will be happy and that he will forgive her."

"Didn't she like him?" the kid asked, his brow creasing in a deeper frown. The exorcist stopped in his tracks and crouched down to his grandson's eye level. He could understand why Shizuka was thinking like that, but he wanted the child to see it in another way. It was important that he did.

"Quite the contrary, Shizuka. She couldn't raise him by herself--she was lacking the resources. By giving him to that family, she gave him a chance at a better life." Looking into the golden eyes, Haruka knew he hadn't dissipated the child's confusion. He sighed, trying to put it another way.

"Sometimes...we have to make choices that we don't want to make. Sometimes, we have to choose to hurt ourselves and those we love, so we can protect them."

The look the future archer was giving him conveyed that he thought his grandfather had said the most ridiculous thing ever. And only the fact that Shizuka was a very polite child was stopping the boy from voicing out his annoyance. The priest smiled that all-knowing smile of his.

"One day, you'll understand..."

* * *

The wood creaked as Doumeki pulled on the string of the bow, the sound comforting in the cold night air.

"Don't do it!!!" the boy cried, putting himself in front of the woman and protecting her with his raised arms.

"Step aside!" was the only thing he could bark back.

When the archer felt himself shaking, he briefly wondered why. He was always so stable when shooting--why was this time any different? But when he looked into the wet blue eyes of his classmate, he understood. This was it. This was that dreadful moment where one has to make a choice, one that would change everything.

Shizuka thought of all the time spent with Watanuki. He thought of their first job together, of how he had quickly reacted when the seer had toppled over the railing on the roof of the school. He remembered the relief he had felt when he had perceived resistance from the ribbon he had been holding onto for countless hours. He thought of the amusement that seeing the other boy drunk had brought him.

"Don't do it!!!"

He thought of all the lunches shared, of all the teasing, of all the flailing. And as he let go of the string--hearing it hiss pass his ear, feeling the wind of it against his cheek--he couldn't help but think of how much he would miss it all.

He lowered the bow as he stoically watched the lady disappear, leaving cryptic words to the sobbing boy. When Watanuki finally looked up, the blue gaze holding so much rage, the exorcist gritted his teeth.

"Why did you shoot? Was it because she wasn't human?"

The question reeled anger from deep inside Doumeki. How could the other boy come to such a conclusion? Was that the opinion he had of him? The taller male couldn't help but glare at the seer:

"No. Because it was my choice."

It was only when the other boy toppled forward, his consciousness leaving him, that the tall man let out a shaky breath--his eyes closing for the long moment it took to calm his heartbeat.

_'I understand now, Ojiisan...'_

* * *

Watanuki didn't uncross the arms from over his eyes when he heard the shouji door closing. He could feel the tears dampening his sleeve, but he didn't care. He tried his hardest to hold back the sobs, not wanting to let Yuuko or the two girls know the depths of his sorrow.

It was like loosing his parents all over again. There was a hole in place of his heart now and it was all Doumeki's fault. A whining sob escaped his lips. Why, oh why did he have to choose to shoot?

The seer turned on his side, curling up under the blankets. The lady had told him that the loneliness had left because of him--that now someone else needed him. Had she meant the archer? How would that stupid lump need him anyway? He had his family, hordes of fans and Himawari-chan seemed to think so highly of him. Watanuki wanted to laugh: how could someone like that feel loneliness?

_Despite knowing he would hurt you by shooting, he chose to keep you in this world._

Yuuko's words kept ringing in his ears. Doumeki had chosen to keep him alive. Despite all the times the small boy had yelled at him, despite all the time he had insulted him, the archer had still chosen to save him from death. And for what? It was clear to Watanuki that he wouldn't talk to the other male anymore.

Tossing onto his other side, the boy closed his eyes. Yuuko had asked what would be his reaction to what Doumeki had chosen, and that was it. His heart was broken and he couldn't forgive his classmate for shattering it.

* * *

"Himawari-chan!" the seer called out in a musical tone. He was feeling so much better and he couldn't believe that he had never considered that dying would have meant to be deprived of the loveliness of his sweet, dear Himawari-chan. He twirled around as she commented on his good health, swinging the rather heavy bento box with his hands.

"Ah!...Doumeki-kun..."

The name itself was enough to stop the seer in his tracks before his blue eyes caught sight of the taller male. The exorcist passed them by, not even sparing them a side glance, and Watanuki felt his heart sink to his stomach. Looking down, he thought of his decision--his resolve to ignore his classmate dissolving with each step he was taking away from them. And as much as he hated it, now he felt grateful for his life. Now he knew that he would miss the shared lunch and the helping hand Doumeki would always willingly offering, despite the constant order of impossible foods.

"Hold up."

There it was. The moment where one makes a decision that changes everything forever. His heart pounded painfully in his chest and the small boy wondered briefly if the archer had felt this way before releasing the string the night before.

"You can come too."

And despite the swell of annoyance that rose with Doumeki's demand for inarizushi, Kimihiro knew he had made the right choice--much like Shizuka never regretted his.


End file.
